NEXT Oncology Partners with Spanish Hospital System to Open Two Phase I Clinical Centers

 New venture marks third and fourth site expansion in five months 

(SAN ANTONIO) November 18, 2021 –– NEXT Oncology, founded by internationally known cancer researcher Dr. Anthony Tolcher, has entered into an agreement with the Quirónsalud Group to open two new phase I clinical trial centers in Spain. The venture increases global access to new agents and anticancer therapies for cancer patients. 

NEXT Oncology’s phase I centers provide patients with advanced cancer who have exhausted all other treatment options access to the newest cancer treatments available. According to Dr. Tolcher, the global expansion into Spain is another step in a series of planned collaborations to bring NEXT Oncology’s proprietary model of Phase I clinical trials to cities all over the U.S. as well as other parts of the world. 

“Because of research, people are living longer lives due to successful cancer treatments that began as clinical trials,” Dr. Tolcher said. “Our goal to grow the NEXT Oncology infrastructure to create access to potentially life-saving therapies to people, while expediting the development of new therapies for the treatment and eventual cure of cancer. We are going to make cancer treatable or curable in my lifetime.” 

Dr. Josep Tabernero, who founded the IOB Institute of Oncology in Barcelona, will coordinate the two units set up for the partnership, one located in Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona and the other in Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud Madrid. The Barcelona unit will be headed by site coordinator Dr. Elena Garralda and Dr. Valentina Boni will manage operations in Madrid. 

According to Dr. Tabernero, the opening of the two units will boost continued research activity and create a great opportunity to promote clinical research in Spain. In addition to constructing a physical space devoted to clinical trials in both facilities, the two hospitals will now have equipment and staff used specifically for these projects. 

“Phase I trials are highly demanding, as they largely determine whether a line of research will succeed or fail. That is why companies search for high levels of quality when planning these trials, and right now we are well-positioned to do just that,” Dr. Tabernero said. “The project has potential to profoundly impact innovation, bring new therapy options to patients, and demonstrate that key trials such as this one can be carried out effectively within Spanish private health care.” 

Phase I oncology trials are an important step in the drug development process and help physicians better understand cancer while improving cancer care for future patients. Trial participation enables patients to actively engage in their medical care, provides patients access to novel treatments not yet commercially available, and it helps put research on the path to new, transformative discoveries. Clinical research trials are conducted according to strict scientific and ethical principles, and groups of experts at the national and local levels approve research studies before they begin. 

NEXT Oncology opened NEXT-Austin in July and entered a joint venture with Virginia Cancer Specialists in September to form NEXT-Virginia. NEXT Oncology has relationships Texas Oncology which is a practice in The US Oncology Network, the largest network of its kind in the United States. 

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About NEXT Oncology 

NEXT Oncology is dedicated to the development of new anticancer agents for patients whose current cancer therapy is no longer working to benefit them and are looking for their next option. NEXT is partnered with Texas Oncology, the largest private oncology practice in the United States with more than 400 referring medical oncologists. Texas Oncology is a practice within The US Oncology Network, a network of independent, community-based oncologists in the U.S. This formidable size and reach provide NEXT unprecedented opportunities to transform what has come to be expected from clinical trials of new agents. 

About Quirónsalud 

Quirónsalud is the leading hospital group in Spain. As part of the firm’s parent company, Fresenius-Helios, Quirónsalud also belongs to Europe’s largest family of hospitals. Outside of Spain, Quirónsalud also has operations in Latin America, particularly Colombia and Peru. The group has a total headcount of over 40,000 employees who work in more than 125 health centers, 54 of which are hospital facilities totaling 8,000 beds. Quirónsalud’s patients receive care that combines state-of-the-art technology and highly specialized, internationally renowned staff. The company’s portfolio features Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Centro Médico Teknon, Ruber Internacional, Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud Madrid, Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona, Hospital Universitario Dexeus, Policlínica de Gipuzkoa, Hospital Universitari General de Catalunya, and Hospital Quirónsalud Sagrado Corazón, to name a few. 

The Quirónsalud group strives to promote teaching, and seven of our hospitals have university affiliation. Medical and scientific research is also a priority for the company, led by the Health Research Institute – Fundación Jiménez Díaz, an institution accredited by the Secretary of State for Research, Development, and Innovation. 

Quirónsalud care services operate as interdisciplinary units and networks, allowing local expertise from the many group health centers to be shared throughout the network, thus maximizing clinical translation of our research findings. Quirónsalud is currently conducting numerous research projects across the country, and many of its health centers are engaged in other cutting-edge investigation efforts, particularly in the fields of oncology, cardiology, endocrinology, gynecology, and neurology, among others.